Trash talk in West Lafayette

DELPHI, Ind. (WLFI) - For West Lafayette residents, it's time to talk trash.

A "Pay as you throw" program has been approved by the city council, but as of right now there are more questions than answers.

"There's a lot of ambiguity," said West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis. "A lot of issues need more specific application and we need more public input."

Delphi Mayor Randy Strasser knows this is no small deal. The city of Delphi implemented a similar "Pay as you throw" program in 2009.

"It was a huge change," said Strasser.

Delphi residents are charged a base rate of $10 a month for the service. To keep the bill at the base rate, however, they can only throw away one bag at a time. Throw away more and the bag is tagged and 50 cents is tacked onto the bill.

Mayor Strasser said residents could have been charged more for unlimited trash service, but he said that was not fair to everyone.

"We wanted to protect people that were on limited incomes to make sure that everybody could afford it. And then the people who use it more - just like water, or electric, or gas - the more you use, the more you end up paying," said Strasser.

With a budget that needed major cuts, Strasser said the city was faced a choice between making the trash changes or cutting other city services. Strasser said continued inefficiency in collecting trash would have meant staff reductions, park shut-downs, and other changes.

Strasser said the move helped Delphi save more than $300,000 this year. He said a similar change in West Lafayette could lead to a similar return.

A final vote in West Lafayette is not expected until the spring. If approved as is, monthly fees for residents would go up 11 percent. Residents would be charged a $3 fee for extra trash containers.